“A single straw can break the camel’s back.” Now try to swap that straw with Luka Doncic and the camel with the Mavericks. That fits perfectly, right? Since his exit, the franchise has been scrambling to stay in the game. For that, they had to make some massive adjustments. After all, most of their starting lineup registered their names on the injury list (Irony, Luka was ‘traded’ with injury being one of the ‘major’ concerns). So all the weight ended up on Kyrie Irving’s shoulders. After carrying it for so long, Uncle Drew couldn’t handle it and tripped. That’s it. Game over for Kyrie and the Mavs. Now here’s the question — who is to blame? But first, let’s hear it straight from Kyrie himself.

Sidelined by his season-ending ACL injury, the Mavs guard shared a specific moment from the Kings game on his Instagram story that led to his current situation. Kyrie was caught in between DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valanciunas, with his foot stepped on by the latter. That wasn’t the real attention-grabber, though. It was the caption.

“Too many minutes??? Or did I get knocked off balance?” So, did he try hinting that his extra minutes led to him being ruled out? Was he indirectly blaming GM Nico Harrison’s decisions in February?

After parting ways with Don Luka, Kyrie had to step up, playing an average of 39.3 minutes per game in his ten appearances. The same Kyrie, who was averaging 35.9 minutes this season before the trade. Too stretched and stressed? Of course, this overuse took a toll on the 32-year-old’s body, leading many to believe it contributed to his fitness strain. Following the IG story, it seems even Kyrie might think that the increased minutes played a part in his injury. But could throwing shade at the GM have an impact on his potentially lucrative future?

Major contract decision looms for Kyrie Irving and the Mavs

Since Luka Doncic’s trade to join LeBron James in LA, speculation has increased in Dallas. Anthony Davis’ injury has compounded the crisis further, with many advising to shut him down for the season. It didn’t stop here, though. Even Klay Thompson’s father, Mychal, went on record to say his son got caught “in a purgatory.” With all the uncertainty at play, the Mavs’ next move will make or break the franchise’s future.

But the Mavs can control very little of their future at this point. According to Brian Windhorst, “When you have a setback like they’ve suffered, you have to identify what you can control and focus on improvement there… They don’t control their first-round pick from 2027 to 2030, and this is a good draft.”

But what about the little part they can control? Nico Harrison could still offer Kyrie Irving a five-year, $313 million extension. The guard has a $43.9 million player option for next season but could choose free agency instead. Even his current injury is raising concerns over the Mavs’ decision to commit that sort of money to a 32-year-old. For now, the answers are in a gray area, but their fate in the playoff race can well and truly kick-start a clean slate process in Dallas.